Former Husker Du co-founder, drummer Grant Hart has a bit of a reputation for being a tad bit erratic when it comes to releases, so the fact that he hasn’t put out a proper album in 10 years, should come as little surprise.
Hot Wax, his fourth solo effort, is not a drastic departure from his previous solo works. Not nearly as aggressive or groundbreaking as the songs in Husker Du’s cannon, Hart has a knack from writing strong pop melodies, particularly evident here on The Kinks-esque “Barbara†and “Charles Hollis Jonesâ€.
Hot Wax is a pleasant enough album, not particularly remarkable or memorable, but nine decent pop songs none the less. Hardly seems like it was worth the decade-long wait.
Rating: 7.3 out of 10
Top tracks: “Barbara†and “Charles Hollis Jonesâ€
Grant Hart – Hot Wax/CD/9 tracks/2009/Con D’or/www.granthart.com